Page 46 of The Devil We Know

Well, I wasn’t expecting that.

I frown, unsure what to say, and when I remain silent, she says, “Matt’s a great guy.” She pauses and laughs, bobbing her head around as she adds, “Like I need to tell you that.”

I stare at her in puzzlement, unsure where she’s going with this conversation, though certainly curious to find out why she decided to come all this way to explain herself. Then she says, “We have no plans ever to be married. Frankly, he’s too old for me and sometimes kind of a bore.”

Now, I laugh. Most people mistake Matt for being a bore, but once you get to know him, that idea just becomes laughable. She does look quite young, though, so considering him to be too old seems reasonable.

“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” I say tiredly. “It’s really none of my business.”

Her eyes widen, and she rushes toward me so quickly that I take a step back. She stops when she’s a couple of feet from me as she says, with great feeling, “Oh, but it is. Of course it is.”

“I don’t see how it’s any of my business. Given my current circumstances, I don’t really have a lot of leeway to be upset.”

She shakes her head vigorously and then exclaims, “Oh, don’t you worry about that. Matt will fix it. He’s going to fix everything.”

I laugh humorlessly, my arms crossing over my chest as I retort, “Well, I wish him a lot of fucking luck with that. Because from where I’m standing, this seems kind of final.”

She looks at me thoughtfully for a moment and then says, “He told me about you.”

Startled, I scoff, “Seriously? Try again.”

She smiles brightly and nods. “He told me he has a girl, and he hoped she’d still be there when all this shit was over.”

Now, I’m annoyed that her statement has warmth flaring inside me. Because I really don’t have time for warm tingles and butterflies.

“That’s all good and well, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s an idiot.”

She snorts, and for some reason, such an indelicate sound coming from such a delicate-appearing person makes me a giggle. And then she says, “Well, that goes without saying.”

I like her. And now I’m annoyed that I like her.

She glances around the room, and I scan her while she’s distracted. She’s not as delicate as I thought she was when she first entered the room. While she’s on the petite side and certainly smaller than me, I can tell she’s strong.

I motion to the chairs in the corner, and we walk over, and both take a seat. I look over at her and ask, “What’s your name?”

“Marieka,” she answers easily. I must have another puzzled look because she smiles and adds, “My father allowed my mother to name me anything she wanted. That’s how come I ended up with a name that didn’t line up with my heritage. Same thing happened with my brother, Kaian.”

“Oh, that was the man with Matt when I first got here?”

She nods. “Yes, that’s my older brother. He’s the one who set up the situation between us.”

“But why do that if you don’t plan on going through with it?”

“It’s all a ruse,” she explains. “Just a cover to keep me out of harm’s way until we can make other arrangements. Being connected to Matt will at least keep most of the undesirables away from me and prevent my father from accidentally making a deal with someone else.”

“Accidentally?”

“I know it sounds stupid, but when those assholes get drinking and then start running their mouths, anything can happen.”

I’m sure more bad deals have been made over a bottle of booze than anything else, so I can’t really argue with her logic.

“So, what would you do if you found yourself forced down the aisle?”

She waves her hand dismissively as she replies, “That wouldn’t happen. This is just a short-term Band-Aid until we can get me out of here.”

“But how can you know that?” I ask incredulously. “You can’t control anything with these people.”

“This is true, but my brother wouldn’t have allowed it. Even if we made it to the altar, none of it would have been real. And even if it had been real, it could have just been annulled.”

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